PROTEINA Co., Ltd. Reports Breakthrough in Nature Biomedical Engineering

PROTEINA Co., Ltd., in partnership with Seoul National University (SNU) and Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), has unveiled groundbreaking research published in Nature Biomedical Engineering. This study introduces a pioneering method for customizing the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by utilizing protein-protein interaction (PPI) profiling to forecast drug effectiveness.

The urgency for personalized AML therapies is underscored by the stark reality that nearly 90% of AML patients do not survive if they fail to reach complete remission during their initial treatment. ABT-199, when used alongside hypomethylating agents, has shown promise by targeting the BCL2 protein, which is crucial in cancer advancement. However, patient responses vary due to differing dependencies on BCL2 signaling, complicating the process of selecting suitable candidates for this treatment.

To address this issue, researchers from PROTEINA, SNU, and SNUH have developed an innovative single-molecule pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation (SMPC) technique. This advanced method can quantify over 20 different types of PPIs and protein expression levels from clinical specimens, requiring only a minimal amount of body fluid, such as 1 ml of blood or bone marrow aspirate.

The SMPC technique has proven effective in identifying key PPI connections that support leukemia cell survival when treated with ABT-199. The researchers formulated a prediction model with an AUROC value of 0.94, enabling precise identification of patients likely to benefit from ABT-199 therapy.

Significant findings from the study highlight the role of the BCL2-BAX complex in the survival of AML cells under the apoptotic stress induced by ABT-199. On the other hand, the BCLxL-BAK complex is associated with resistance to the drug, demonstrating the selective nature of ABT-199’s mechanism.

Extensive PPI profiling of samples from 32 AML patients revealed crucial PPIs that correlate with drug responsiveness. The developed biomarker exhibited high predictive accuracy, correctly predicting drug response in 9 out of 10 patients, with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 83.3%.

PROTEINA has acquired the technology and patents for predicting venetoclax response from SNU and SNUH. The company is now collaborating with Professor Janghee Woo of Emory University School of Medicine for global clinical validation. Hongwon Lee, Chief Technology Officer at PROTEINA, expressed enthusiasm about this large-scale clinical validation, considering it a vital step towards broadening the application of their platform technology in precision medicine.

The research received backing from the National Grants for Leading Scientists of the National Research Foundation of South Korea (NRF), the Bio Medical Technology Development Program of the NRF, and the Korea Health Technology R&D Project of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI).

PROTEINA Co., Ltd. is a leading biotech firm specializing in proteomics, focusing on protein complexes and protein-protein interactions. The company offers state-of-the-art analysis services to major pharmaceutical developers, aiming to advance precision medicine through innovative diagnostic technologies.

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